Reviews, November 2017

The City of Brass —
S.A. Chakraborty
Daevabad Trilogy, book 1

2017’s historical fantasy The City of Brass is S.A. Chakraborty’s debut novel, the first in the Daevabad Trilogy.

Napoleon’s French and the Turks agree on one thing; Cairo cannot rule itself. Their only disagreement is over which of them is best suited to own Egypt. Nahri sees little distinction between the foreign occupiers, although the “Franks” are less likely to kill her for being a witch.

Not that Nahri admits to being an actual witch. As far as she is concerned, magic and religion are con games designed to separate gullible marks from their money. Her ability to heal with a touch is merely a minor quirk, one she accepts without wanting to explain it. She is greatly surprised, and therefore, when her improvised flourish during an exorcism summons Dara, an actual djinn.

A very angry, extraordinarily powerful djinn who takes being summoned by a mere human as a personal affront.

Children of the Divide —
Patrick S. Tomlinson
Children of a Dead Earth, book 3

2017’s
Children
of the Divide
is the third but probably not final volume in Patrick S. Tomlinson’s
Children
of a Dead Earth series.

A
generation after their ark parked in orbit around Gaea (one of Tau
Ceti’s life-bearing worlds), the refugees are well on their way to
building a new civilization to replace the one they lost. There are
just two problems:

Tensions
between humans and Gaean natives could result in civil war.

The
aliens who destroyed Earth may have once lived in the Tau Ceti
system — and may return.

Titan —
John Varley
Gaea, book 1

1979’s
Titan
is the first novel in John Varley’s
Gaea trilogy.

Ringmaster
is
the first crewed spacecraft to visit distant Saturn. The crew
discovers a twelfth moon of Saturn, the first discovered in the six
decades since Janus and Epimethius were detected in the 1960s1.
What at first appears to be a small object turns out to be huge, over
1300 kilometres in diameter2.
By rights, any moon that large should be spherical and comparable in
mass to our Moon. This object, which the astronauts initially call
Themis, is a torus of low mass which is spinning rapidly enough that
any object on its surface would be flicked off into space. The
obvious conclusion is that the object is artificial, possibly an
alien generation ship.

When
Ringmaster
approaches the object, they discover something else about Themis. It
knows that Ringmaster
is
nearby and is able to reach out and tear the spacecraft apart. The
crew — Cirocco Jones, Bill NLN, April and August Polo, Gaby Plauget,
Calvin Greene, and Gene Springfield — are grabbed by immense
tentacles and borne off into the depths of the vast moon.

Radiant —
James Alan Gardner
League of Peoples, book 7

To
quote Wikipedia:

James
Alan Gardner (born January 10, 1955) is a Canadian science fiction
author. Raised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, he earned bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in applied mathematics from the University of
Waterloo.

Gardner
has published science fiction short stories in a range of
periodicals, including The
Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction
and Amazing
Stories.
In 1989, his short story “The Children of Creche” was awarded the
Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Two years later his
story “Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large” won a
Prix Aurora Award; another story, “Three Hearings on the Existence
of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream,” won an Aurora and was
nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

Radiant
is the seventh and thus far final volume in James Alan Gardner’s
League of People’s
series. Readers
who want more books should make that known to publishers.

Youn
Suu’s mother wanted the genetic engineers to ensure that her
daughter would be a beauty who would satisfy her mother’s very
demanding standards. Instead, Youn was born with a face that was,
shall we say, less than conventionally beautiful. How inconsiderate
of her!

The
Technocracy has a use for people like Youn. The Explorer Corps is
always looking for new recruits, particularly unsightly or unpopular
people whose demise will be regretted by nobody. That’s because the
hazards of exploration are matched only by the brevity of Explorer
lifespans. Youn was fated from birth to become an Explorer or as they
are better known, an Expendable.

Sole
heir of the notorious space pirate Gonzaemon Kato, Marika Kato
assumed her father’s role as captain of the Bentenmaru
upon Gonzaemon’s death. The Bentenmaru
isn’t
the only pirate vessel in the Tau Ceti system, but it may be the only
one whose captain has a curfew. Marika is, after all, only seventeen,
still in high school, and she needs to maintain her grade point
average.

Artemis —
Andy Weir

2017’s
Artemis
is
a standalone hard-SF novel by Andy Weir.

A
century after the first Moon landings, Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara is
living proof to the other residents in the lunar city, Artemis, that
sufficiently poor judgment can lead to many exciting adventures.
There may, however, be a hard limit to how long one such miscreant
can survive on the unforgiving Moon.

Prime Meridian —
Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In
the glorious world of tomorrow, anyone with enough money can buy a
ticket to the Martian settlements. Anyone with the right credentials
can indenture themself to buy that precious ticket.

Thanks
to her decision to drop out of college to care for her dying mother,
Amelia doesn’t have money or credentials. Instead, she is one of
Mexico City’s precariate.
A new life on Mars can only be a dream.

Worlds —
Joe Haldeman
Worlds, book 1

1981’s
Worlds
is the first volume in Joe Haldeman’s Worlds
trilogy.

By
2084, half a million people live in forty-one orbital habitats
circling the Earth; they are the so-called Worlds. New New York is
largest of the Worlds. It is the only home our protagonist Marianne
O’Hara has ever known. University in Old New York will be an
entirely new experience for her. If she plays her cards wrong,
possibly her last experience ever.

The Sleeping God —
Violette Malan
Dhulyn and Parno, book 1

Violette
Malan has a PhD from York University in 18th-Century English
Literature, but reports that most people don’t hold it against her.
She started reading fantasy and science fiction at the age of eight,
and was writing stories not long after. Violette has been a book
reviewer, and has written feature articles on genre writing and
literature for the Kingston
Whig Standard.
She has taught creative writing, English as a second language,
Spanish, beginner’s French, and choreography for strippers. On
occasion she’s worked as an administrative assistant, and a
carpenter’s helper. Her most unusual job was translating letters
between lovers, one of whom spoke only English, the other only
Spanish.

Violette
is co-founder of the Scene of the Crime Festival on Wolfe Island, a
single-day event focusing on Canadian crime writing, and celebrating
the birthplace of Grant Allen, Canada’s first crime writer. Violette
is currently the president of the festival board, but in the past
she’s given writing workshops, and was the original organizer and
co-judge of The Wolfe Island Prize for first crime fiction, which is
sponsored by the festival.

2007’s
The
Sleeping God
is the first volume in Violette Malan’s Dhulyn
and Parno series.

The
contract seemed so straightforward. Escort a young woman to her
nation’s capital. Unfortunately for Dhulyn and Parno, they’re
heading for the capital of Imrion and disquieting events are
underway.

Eighty
years ago, the Red Pox swept across Japan. Men were peculiarly
vulnerable to the disease; even now, there are four women for every
man. Too precious to risk, men are kept safely sequestered from
danger. Occupations once the monopoly of men are now the realm of women.

Good
looking Yunoshin shares his seed generously with the poor women of
his town, but social barriers prevent him from marrying O-Nobu, the
one woman he loves. Rather than spend his life living near the
beloved he cannot have, he applies for a position in the Ôoku,
the Shogun’s harem.

Yunoshin
vanishes into the inner chambers, never to walk the streets of his
hometown again.

Northern Tier —
David Axel Kurtz

2017’s Northern Tier
is a standalone post-apocalyptic novel by David Axel Kurtz.

Two
centuries after nuclear war and the collapse of petroleum-based
civilization, North America is divided between several nations: Nova
Scotia et Hibernia, Minnetonka, Central, Two Crowns, and others.
Trade between nations has become slow and difficult, creating a niche
for couriers who are willing to brave the dangers of the open road to
deliver small, valuable packages quickly. The cycers, bicycle
couriers like Slip, fill this niche.

Slip
is a survivor, smart and cautious enough to survive a lifestyle that
kills most cycers young. But this time, one moment of bad judgment on
her part may doom not just Slip, but the entire cycer way of life.

The Dazzle of Day —
Molly Gloss

1998’s
The Dazzle
of Day
is a standalone generation ship novel by Molly Gloss.

Frustrated
with conditions on Earth, a community of Quakers re-purposes an
orbiting space habitat. Renamed the Dusty
Miller,
equipped with vast solar sails, the vessel heads into deepest space
for a 175-year journey to another star.

Orbitsville —
Bob Shaw
Orbitsville, book 1

1975’s
Orbitsville
is
the first volume in Bob Shaw’s Orbitsville trilogy.

Vance
Garamond is a competent starship pilot but a terrible babysitter. He
fails to prevent his boss’s son from falling to his death. His
boss, Elizabeth Lindstrom, the autocratic president of the company
that controls interstellar flight, is notoriously vindictive. Rather
than wait to see what form her vengeance will take, Garamond collects
his wife Aileen and son Christopher and flees to the stars in a
commandeered flickerwing starship, the Bissendorf.

If
only there were somewhere beyond Lindstrom’s reach Garamond and his
family could flee …

The Forgotten Tale —
J. M. Frey
Accidental Turn, book 2

The
Forgotten Tale is
the second volume in J. M. Frey’s Accidental
Turn series.

Once
a supporting character in Elgar Reed’s deplorably written but
popular fantasy series, spymaster Forsyth Turn escaped with his
beloved Pip to Pip’s native Canada (which, as we all know, is
nearly as happy as Denmark). Content in his new life, husband to Pip,
father to Alis, Forsyth has no intention of returning to his native
Hain or even of maintaining contact with Reed.

Alas,
just because he is done with fantastic adventures in Reed’s
poorly–thought-out land does not mean that Hain is done with
Forsyth. Or with Forsyth’s family.

The City of Woven Streets —
Emmi Itäranta

Emmi
Itäranta’s 2015 standalone secondary world fantasy Kudottujen
kujien kaupunki was
published in 2016 as The
City of Woven Streets.
And also as
The Weaver
(for some reason I cannot comprehend).

The
island on which Eliana lives is controlled by a Council much
concerned with contamination by uncanny dreams and other such
temptations to … well, if I told you more that would be a spoiler.
Those deemed Tainted are isolated, a precaution to prevent the spread
of Taint. This has not been working well. The island’s rulers do
the only sensible thing: double down on enforcement. It’s a small,
harsh world.

Places in the Darkness —
Chris Brookmyre

2017’s
Places
in the Darkness
is a standalone near-future police procedural thriller by Chris Brookmyre.

230,000
kilometres above the Earth’s surface, Ciudad de Cielo is supposed
to be the shining city on the hill, a utopia where the technology
needed to reach the stars will be developed. It should be filled with
pristine rooms and corridors filled with hard-working, well behaved
idealists, a glorious celebration of humanity’s loftiest goals.

In
actual fact, some fool staffed CdC with actual humans, not flawless
paragons. Almost every vice known to humanity exists and is catered
to by someone within the great space city. Not murder, however.
That’s one failing not found in space.

Artificial Condition —
Martha Wells
The Murderbot Diaries, book 2

2018’s
Artificial
Condition is
the second volume in Martha Wells’ Murderbot
Diaries. A review of the first volume, All Systems Red, is here.

Rather
than trust its fate to humans, no matter how well intentioned, the
freethinking construct calling itself Murderbot decides to evade its
protectors and find freedom. But first, a few loose ends to be
cleared. Such as what role Murderbot
might have played in the deaths of dozens of people on planet RaviHyral.

Step
one is getting to aforesaid obscure world without being exposed as a
rogue SecUnit and forcibly returned to factory settings.

Bored
AIs piloting interstellar transport ships turn out to be very
observant.

Watchtower —
Elizabeth A. Lynn
Chronicles of Tornor, book 1

1979’s
Watchtower
is the first volume in Elizabeth A. Lynn’s
Chronicles of Tornor.

Most
of Tornor Keep’s defenders died in a futile attempt to bar invaders
led
by Col Istor. Knocked out cold early in the battle, the armsman Ryke
was spared. Not out of charity. Istor respected Ryke’s abilities
and preferred to keep him alive and useful. Not that Istor wholly
trusts Ryke, but he does have leverage.

That
leverage is Errel, heir to the late lord of Tornor Keep. Errel lives
only as long as Ryke serves Istor. At that, Errel survives only as a
“cheari” or jester.

The Starving Queen —
Dean Italiano

To
quote Dean Italiano’s bio:

Dean
Italiano lives with G and their twin boys in Waterloo, ON. Author of
Pain Machine,
Spirits
and Death in Niagara,
and Katrina
and the Frenchman: A Journal from the Street,
Dean also works with G musically to produce CDs Johnny
Gruesome and
From
Skull Tavern,
and occasionally does some artwork as well. By day, Dean works in a
wonderfully busy elementary school Library. You can find more
information at picpublishing.ca.

2017’s
The Starving Queen is a stand-alone urban fantasy.

Bev
managed to escape the Starving Queen. Her daughter Jasmine won’t be
so lucky.

Hiromu Arakawa
Fullmetal Alchemist, book 9

Viz’
Fullmetal
Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Volumes 25–27 includes
Volumes 25, 26, and 27 of the original Japanese manga1.
Story and art are by Hiromu Arakawa; English translation by Akira
Watanabe; English adaptation by Jake Forbes; touch-up art and
lettering by Wayne Truman. The original manga appeared in 2010.

The
nice thing about series whose author has a destination in mind is the
comparative absence of supporting characters who don’t actually
support anything and subplots that don’t go anywhere. The less nice
thing is that eventually the story reaches that destination. End of
the line.